Garden-plow.



Patented Feb. ll, I902.

W. J. STEWART. GARDEN PLOW.

(Application filed Aug. 26, 1901.)

(No Model.)

THE uqnms pqzns ca, wum'h-urhm WASHINGYO UNITED STATES PATENT Orrron.

\VILLIAM JOSIAH STEWART, OF LYNNVILLE, TENNESSEE.

GARDEN-PLOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 692,941, dated February11, 1902.

Application filed August 26, 1901. Serial No. 73,367. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM JOSIAH STEW- ART, a citizen of theUnitedStates, residing at Lynnville, in the county of Giles and State ofTennessee, have invented a new and useful Garden-Plow, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to garden-plows.

One object of the invention is to present a plow having handles of suchconstruction as to remove all strain and abrasive action from the handsof the operator and in which direct front thrust may be applied to thehandles, thereby to cause effective operation of the plow.

A further object is to provide a plow having a rear or furrow wheel ofsuch construction as automatically to adjust itself to the furrow,whether the same be straight or crooked, thereby insuringproperoperation of the shovel. V V

A further object is to provide a novel form of shovel-beam andfurrow-wheel bracket by which the parts of the frame will be thoroughlybraced and racking or lost motion be-v tween the parts thereof will beobviated.

A final object is to present a simply-constructed, highly-durable, andthoroughly-efficient form of garden-plow which may be operated toproduce the best results with a minimum output of energy.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature ofthe invention is better understood, the same consists in the novelconstruction and combination of parts of a garden-plow, as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts, thereis illustrated a form of embodiment of the invention capable of carryingthe same into practical operation, it being understood that the elementsherein exhibited may be varied or changed as to shape, proportion, andexact manner of assemblage without departing from the scope of theinvention, and in the drawings 1 Figure 1 is a view in perspective of agarden-plow constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is aview in top plan, the

front ends of the handle-bars being broken away.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the front or supporting wheel,and 2the rear or furrow wheel, the latter being of less diameter thanthe former, as is usual in implements of this character. The front wheelsupports the shovel-beam 3, comprising two members, each of which iscomposed of a straight body portion 4 and a downwardly and forwardlycurved portion 5, constituting the shovelstandard, the portion 5 beingbent-to form a loop 6, constituting the lower terminal of the standard.While the shovel-beam is herein shown as being made of. a single pieceof metal and is by preference so constructed on account of simplicityand strength, it is to be understood that the same may be composed oftwo pieces ofmetal suitably associated. The members of the shovelstandard are spaced apart a sufficient distance to permit insertiontherebetween of the bolts 7, that hold I the shovel 8 associated withthe standard, the rear ends of the bolts carrying nuts which bearagainst the rear side of the standard, and therebyhold the shovelrigidly associated therewith.

The shovel may be of any preferred construction,'and therefore needs nospecific description. The forward ends of the shovelbeam members aretransversely orificed for the reception of the axle 9 of thesupportingwheel 1, the ends of the shovel-beam bearing against the hub10 of the wheel, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and engaging the outer endsof the axle 9 are the lower ends of the handle-bars 11, nuts 12, screwedon the ends of the axle, serving to hold the handle-bars and shovel-beammembers associated therewith.

The handle-bars,whieh constitute one of the essential features of theinvention, are provided with handles 13 of peculiar construction, anddesigned, as before pointed out, to relieve strain from the hand of theoperator and to enable him to apply direct end thrust thereto. Eachhandle 13 comprises an offset,

which may be either integral with the bar-or secured thereto and isprovided with a curved slot 14, through which the fingers of theoperator are passed, and with a forward hand grip 15, the outer wall ofwhich is shaped to conform to the palm of the hand when the same isclosed. In other words, the handgrip is shaped somewhat like asaw-handle, this being a' structure that readily fits the hand of theuser and enables him firmly to grip the same. As shown in Fig. 1, thehandles are disposed below the plane of the top of the handle-bars, andthe outer wall of the hand-grip is disposed at an angle to thehandle-bar that will be most conducive to ease in use and for impartinga direct forward thrust to the plow. In this connection it is to benoted that the peculiar form of handle herein shown is equally welladaptable to any form of agricultural implement where its use will befound; advantageous, so that its employment is not to be confined togarden-plows alone. To render the handle bars rigid against side shakeand also to hold them at the proper distance apart, the same areconnected near their outer ends by a rung 16, and, if found necessary,two or more rungs may be employed, as will be obvious.

The furrow-wheel 2 is supported in operative position bya pair ofwheel-brackets 17, each comprising a straight upper end portion 18, arearward-curved lower end portion 19, and an angularly-disposed centerportion 20. The lower curved end portions or arms 19 of the bracket areprovided each with a horizontally-disposed slot 21, in which works theends of the axle 22 of the furrow-wheel, the provision of the slotspermitting the furrow-wheel to have alimited lateral swinging movement,thereby to cause the same automatically to adjust itself to follow thefurrow whether the same be straight or crooked, and thus cause theshovel always to follow the furrow or line. Near the angular offsets 20the bracket is secured to the rear portion of the shovel-beam by a bolt23, and by this arrangement the said beam is supported at the properdistance above the ground and is rigidly braced against lateral shake.The upper end portions 18 of the bracket members are each provided witha plurality of openings 24, through each of which passes a bolt 25, thatprojects through a handle-bar, a nut 26 carried by the bolt serving toclamp the end of the bracket rigidly to the handle-bar. By the provisionof the plurality of openings 24; in the bracket members the handle-barsmay be raised or lowered to suit the height of the operator, and inaddition the bolts that hold the bracket members associated with thehandle-bars also serve the further function of supporting thehandle-bars and holding them rigidly in position against lateral play.An object had in view in this invention is to construct the same of thefewest possible number of parts and to associate the parts in suchmanner as positively to overcome any tendency of having the samedisassociated from racking and strains incident to use, and this object,as will be apparent, has been accomplished in a thoroughly practicalmanner by the disposition of the parts as shown.

When the implement is in use, the shovel will be kept in the furrow byreason of the self-adj usting furrow-wheel 2, as before pointed out,and, further, the implement may be operated close up to and aroundplants or other obstructions by being tilted to the right or left, asthe case may be, and will under these conditions, owing to the manner ofmounting the furrow-wheel, be thoroughly effective in operation. Byreason of the peculiar construction of the handles the hands of theoperator will never become blistered or strained, and by theiremployment the labor of operating the plow will be reduced to a minimum.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is'-- 1. In a garden-plow, thecombination with the handle-bars, of brackets secured thereto andprovided at their lower ends with horizontally-disposed slots, and afurrow-wheel having the ends of its axle working in the slots.

2. In a garden-plow, the combination with the handle-bars, of bracketsadj ustably connected therewith and provided at their lower ends withhorizontally-disposed slots, and a furrow-wheel having the ends of itsaxles working in the slots.

In a garden-plow, the combination with handle-bars carrying at theirfront end a supporting-wheel, of brackets secured to the handle-bars andprovided at their lower ends with horizontally-disposed slots, afurrowwheel having the ends of its axle working in the slots, and ashovel-carrying beam having its forward end mounted on thesupportingwheel axle and its.rear end connected with the said brackets.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM JOSIAH STEWART. W'itnesses:

R. J. MOLAURINE, OSCAR E. WOOD.

